Too much sugar is not good for us. Sugar can cause cavities and tooth decay and excessive use of sugar can lead to overweight. Which in turn influences how vital you feel. But do you know how to recognize sugar in food? In this blog I explain how you can recognize sugars on the label.

What is sugar?

Sugar occurs naturally in foods such as fruit, corn and sugar beet. Sugar gives the body the necessary energy, but it does not give us vitamins, minerals and fibers. This applies to all types of sugar and also for honey, syrups and syrups. Did you know that our body makes no distinction between naturally present sugar or added sugar? The body processes all sugars the same way and alls sugars deliver the same amount of calories.

Sugar on the label

Do you want to eat less sugar? Then it is useful to know which foods contain sugar. This can be tricky, because producers use different names for added sugars. You can find these names on the ingredient list on the product. You can find sugars under the names:

  • granulated sugar,
  • sugar,
  • glucose,
  • fruit sugar,
  • glucose fructose syrup,
  • isoglucose,
  • milk sugar (lactose),
  • fruit sugar (fructose),
  • sucrose,
  • maltose,
  • dextrose.

 Sometimes sugar is not immediately recognizable as sugar, for example if the producer uses other sugar sources, such as

  • honey,
  • apple juice,
  • maple syrup (maple syrup),
  • agave syrup,
  • fruit juice or fruit concentrate.

 This is just a small selection. The Diabetes Fund has a long list of other names for sugar.

What to do?

Before you place a product in your shopping basket, scan the ingredient list. Do you see sugar or other names for sugars in the ingredient list? Then you know that sugars (or a form of sugar) have been added to the product. Perhaps another variant of the product is better.

Read more about healthy food in the library Lifestyle.

Where we used to talk about ‘sugars’, we now talk about ‘honey’, ‘corn syrup’, ‘galactose’ and all other forms of sugar. We know that sugar isn’t good for your health, however in the Netherlands we consume about two to three times more sugar than the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (NRC, 2015). Shocking, right?! To be more conscious  about our health, we choose for honey or maple syrup instead of refined sugars. But is it a better choice? We will give you a short introduction.

Sugar and sugar alternatives

Sugar is a collective name for monosaccharides and disaccharides, which are carbs. This is why ‘sugar’ is underneath ‘carbs’ on food packages. Mostly when we talk about sugar, we talk about refined sugar, which is sugar from sugar beets and sugarcanes. But sugar also occur naturally in food, like: fruit sugar, milk sugar, starch (potatoes and grains) and corn. Next to that, also syrup, molasses and honey consist for a big part out of sugar.

Honey

Honey has a little bit more kilocalories and a little bit less sugar than refined sugar. The ingredients exists for 79 percent out of sugar, 17 percent out of water en 4 percent out of enzymes, protein, vitamins and minerals. Honey has an antibacterial effect, most likely because of the combination of enzymes, a special protein in honey and the high concentration of sugar. This effect is not strong enough to prevent an infection, but it could soothe a cold. In conclusion: even though honey has some health benefits, it isn’t a healthy choice because of its kilocalories and sugars.

Maple syrup

Maple syrup is a Canadian sweetener, especially great on top of your pancakes. It contains less kilocalories and sugar than honey and refined sugars. Next to that it also contains vitamins and minerals, but not as much as honey does. The glycemic index is lower, which means maple syrup is less bad for you blood sugar level. However, the vitamins and minerals in maple syrup don’t weigh up to the amount sugars.

Agave syrup

There is no clear picture about agave syrup according to science. Agave syrup exists for a big part out of fructose. Science shows that fructose can damage the liver, which can cause fatty liver disease. However, agave syrup contains less glucose than other sugars, which means the blood sugar level will increase less compared to other sugars.

Coconut blossom sugar

Sugar from a palm tree, sounds like the most healthy one on the list! Nope. Coconut blossom sugar has about as many kilocalories and sugars as refined sugar. The only advantage of coconut blossom sugar is that it’s not heated during processing, so the minerals won’t get lost.

Sweeteners

Sweeteners don’t contain sugar or kilocalories. There are unhealthy variants of sweeteners, but all permitted sweeteners in the EU are carefully examined on safety. So even though sweeteners don’t have any health benefits, they are also not harmful. Also, sweeteners don’t have an effect on your blood sugar level. Only good news!  However there is one (little) disadvantage of sweeteners: some sweeteners contain polyols. The colon converts polyols into bacteria, which releases gasses. Also they attract water, resulting in diarrhea and flatulence. And that’s not what we want right… 😉

NiceDay: Would you like to eat healthier? Try to reduce your sugar intake. Write in your diary how that works for you.

Sugar, a word that sounds negative. A lot of parents say: “Sugar is bad for you”. They are right, too much sugar is bad for your health.But your body needs sugar too!There are cons and benefits of consuming sugar, we will explain them to you.

Health effects

Sugar is often associated with weight gain . This is not totally true: eating too much sugar can be associated with weight gain, but sugar doesn’t have to be the direct cause of it. Sugar provides energy but does not contain vitamins, minerals and fiber. This means that it doesn’t satisfy the body, even though your body receives the extra calories.  

But sugar isn’t all bad: the body needs sugar, or glucose, for energy.  Your brain needs glucose to function.Also glucose is a quickly available energy source, used during high intensity efforts like a work-out or when you feel dizzy.

Positive and negative effects

There are different forms of sugar. For example, granulated sugar, cane sugar, honey and (agave/maple)syrup. They say that granulated sugar is the worst, but all kinds of sugar are processed the same way. So your body can not know the difference between those sugars. However, sugars from for example fruits and vegetables are a better choice. This is because next to the sugars, they contain nutrients. Sugars from candy or soda don’t have too much nutrients. These are the so-called ‘empty calories’: they contain calories without being beneficial for your well-being.  Are you curious about what sugar alternatives are the healthiest? Read it in this post. 

What to do if you want to eat less sugar?

For example, cut sugar in your breakfast. Replace sugary and crispy muesli for muesli with nuts of fresh fruit. Also try to decrease your sugar intake while you are eating snacks! Instead of cookies, cake, go for vegetables, fruit, whole grain bread or crackers. During dinner you can decrease sugar intake by making your own dressing or sauces instead of ready-made dressings and/or sauces. Also replace soda drinks with water, coffee or tea.

NiceDay: Note in your diary what cutting sugar does to your well-being. Is it easy for you? Do you feel more energetic? What is going well? Where can you still improve?